The Human Rights Campaign can now confirm the House Education and Labor Committee will vote on Wednesday, November 18, 2009, at 10:00 a.m. on legislation to end the widespread practice of employment discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. The vote was noticed moments ago.
The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (H.R. 3017), introduced by Reps. Barney Frank (D-MA) and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), would prohibit employment discrimination, preferential treatment, and... Read Full Story
Europa Newswire Photo: Luiz Rampelotto by Nicola Winter Thursday, December 10 th 2009, marked the 61 st anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. At United Nations headquarters in New York, a panel discussion was held on opposing human rights violations on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. The panel was sponsored by 66 countries, including Brasil, and brought together five panelists to discuss the current problem of discrimination against... Read Full Story
Wouldn’t it be great to have an online source for all kinds of practical and politically insightful information highlighting the critical issues facing lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities of color?
Now we have one with the recent launch of LGBTRacialEquity.org by the Funders for LGBT Issues .
The new site serves as a virtual toolkit chock-full of thoughtful and timely resources, including:
• A broad range of perspectives on dozens of issues and topics, from building... Read Full Story
After last night’s defeat in Maine, I’m sure many in the LGBT community are angry and heartbroken. But don’t let last night’s upset keep you from moving forward in the battle for full equality in all 50 states for all people.
On Thursday, November 5, a Senate Committee will hold a hearing on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (S. 1584). Key witnesses will testify about how vital this legislation is for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) workers and their families.
Get... Read Full Story
As famed Hollywood director Paul Haggis takes his leave of the Scientology organization, in part for the cult's failure to denounce California's homophobic ballot Proposition 8, it is worth considering the "Church" of Scientology's official position on gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered and queer people (LGBTQ). According to Scientology, such "perverts" should either be quarantined and institutionalized, or go through extensive Scientology "processing" until once again they have value as... Read Full Story
This post is from Ty Cobb, HRC legislative counsel:
Today the American Medical Association (AMA) made two significant announcements regarding LGBT rights. Its members voted to join the effort to repeal the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law and declared that bans on same-sex marriage result in health disparities for LGBT couples and families.
The AMA said that “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” should be repealed because it creates an ethical dilemma for lesbian, gay and bisexual members of the... Read Full Story
As noted here Monday, social conservatives — distracted by concerns over abortion and the House health care reform bill — missed key provisions in the bill that benefit LGBT Americans . One group that apparently overlooked the measures, the Minnesota Family Council, confirms that assessment .
“[The LGBT provisions] were highlighted in a story posted on the left newsblog Minnesota Independent,” wrote Tom Prichard, president of the religious right group, on Tuesday. “They correctly... Read Full Story
As the Out Front team has stated , the LGBT community celebrated some huge milestones in October. The last week in October was no exception as President Obama signed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act , extending the definition of federal hate crimes to include attacks motivated by sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, and disability. If you haven’t gotten a chance to read it, please take a few moments to look at Michael Murphy’s last blog posting... Read Full Story
Rhode Island's governor has vetoed legislation giving same-sex couples the same rights to plan the funerals of their late partners as married couples. Gov. Don Carcieri blocked the bill Tuesday because he said it represents an incremental erosion of the values of traditional marriage. Rhode Island does not recognize same-sex marriage. The bill would have required that same-sex couples have a relationship for at least one year and pass other tests, such as owning property together. Besides... Read Full Story
With some regularity I receive inquiries from GLBT individuals who are contemplating a possible move to Virginia - either due to a job transfer or a perceived job opportunity . The two questions that come up time and time again relate to (1) what employment protections, if any exist for LGBT employees and (2) whether same sex relationships receive any state recognition whatsoever. The answer, of course is that there are ZERO employment non-discrimination protections for LGBT citizens in... Read Full Story
